The present invention generally relates to a means of actively damping the vibration of an automotive steering wheel and in addition to a method of providing a tactile, warning feedback signal to the driver.
Reference is briefly made to FIGS. 1 and 2 which diagrammatically illustrate a steering wheel secured to the steering column. In FIG. 1 the steering wheel 20 is secured to a steering column 12 which in turn is operatively connected to the steering system as illustrated by arrow 14. Quite often the steering column is secured to a crossbeam 16 in the vehicle by various fastening mechanisms generally shown as 18. An exemplary dashboard or instrument panel 21 is also illustrated covering this connection. FIG. 2 is a plan view of steering wheel 20 taken along lines 2-2 of FIG. 1 and shows the primary directions or modes of steering wheel vibration which are primarily vertical shown by arrows 30 and 32 and to a lesser degree horizontal shown by arrows 34 and 36.
If not compensated for, the vibration of the vehicle steering wheel is a source of discomfort and annoyance to the driver. The prior art shows steering wheel vibration can be reduced by adding a passive damper. This invention provides for an “active” steering wheel damper that reduces vibrations of a steering wheel over the full range of frequencies that may be induced by various vehicle and engine operating speeds. The present invention is an enhancement to the widely employed passive steering wheel dampers that are effective only at a single predetermined vibrational frequency.
As mentioned, mechanically induced steering wheel vibration is a source of annoyance to the driver. However, if the steering wheel can be controllably forced to vibrate, such vibration can be used to warn a driver of an impending danger.